


Finding Herself

by YoDoctorDeath



Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Other, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-04-30 11:57:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14496474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoDoctorDeath/pseuds/YoDoctorDeath
Summary: Maura Isles is the new Chief Medical Examiner in the city of Boston. She's heard many stories about famed Detective Jane Rizzoli and can't wait to find out what all the fuss is over. The opportunity may come sooner than she's anticipated...





	1. A Chance Meeting

Maura Isles stepped out of her Cadillac, her leather stiletto boots making a tapping noise when they met the concrete. She leaned back into the car to get her medical examiners bag and the hem of her skirt came up to reveal the back of her knees. She stood back up and smoothed out the emerald green satin blouse before adjusting her black jacket. Her blonde hair trailed down to just below her shoulders in loose waves. She switched the bag to her right side and walked toward the intense light of the lamps at her first crime scene as Chief Medical Examiner.  


She came upon the scene and her eyes were immediately drawn to a tall woman with a wild mane of black curls. At the sound of Maura’s heels echoing through the hall, the detective turned around and flashed a quick smile in her direction. Maura's breath caught as she took in the detective's beauty; the woman was wearing black boots accompanied by simple black pants with a form fitting purple button up with a loose black blazer unbuttoned in . Her face had very chiseled features, her jaw line the most compelling once you tore your eyes from her own brown ones.  


"You must be the new Chief ME, Maura Isles," she held out a long-fingered hand for Maura to shake, "I'm Detective Jane Rizzoli." Her hand hung in limbo as Maura tried to gather herself.  


"Y-yes! I am Dr. Maura Isles," she put her own hand in Jane's and shook it, "Chief Medical Examiner of the-"  


"Commonwealth of Massachusetts. You don't need to use the full title with me." Jane winked, and Maura felt her heart skip a beat.  


"Yes well, what do we have tonight?" Maura peeled her eyes away from Jane’s face and crouched next to the body.  


Jane leaned in next to Maura and felt the man's pockets. She reached into the left pocket and pulled out the victim’s wallet, opening it to check for ID. She closed the wallet and tossed it to another detective.  


"Hey Frost, will you run the name and see if he has a record?" he caught the wallet and nodded, looking a little sick.  


"Is Detective Frost all right, Detective Rizzoli?” Maura looked up at Jane.  


"Oh, yeah. He's not so good with blood. Don't ask me why he chose homicide but he's one hell of a detective." Jane chuckled, “Also, please don’t call me Detective Rizzoli, just call me Jane.” She offered Maura a warm smile.  


Maura returned the smile before turning her attention back to the man on the pavement, hoping the rising blush on her cheeks went unnoticed. She focused mainly on a large head wound that started at the hairline and trailed to around the crown of his head. Blood had coagulated in clumps in his short brown hair and pooled around the left side of his head.  


"There's obvious blunt force trauma to the skull, but I will have to do a complete autopsy to get an accurate cause of death." She continued her preliminary exam, taking the liver temp next. "Time of death between 2 and 3 hours ago." She slipped the thermometer into a baggie and placed it back in her bag. Jane jotted the woman's findings in her notebook and flipped it closed.  


"If you’re done, Dr. Isles, we can take it from here. Nothing left to do but photographs and evidence collection.” Jane looked over at Maura.  


"Alright." Maura motioned to a young man standing off to the side, "Get the victim back to the morgue please." he nodded and went back towards the van. “And Jane,” Maura caught the other detective by surprise, placing her hand on the woman’s arm, “you can call me Maura.”  


She turned on her toes and started walking down the alley before turning back to the detective, "I'm starting the autopsy at 9am if you want to observe." Jane nodded and returned her attention to Frost. Maura went along the alley followed by the whispers of other detectives. She knew they were talking about her because they all stopped as she passed them. One detective, however, laughed and shouted after her.  


“See you later, Queen of the dead!”  
In all fairness it had a nice ring to it, but that didn’t stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. As she wiped her eyes she heard none other than Jane Rizzoli standing up for her  


"Look here Crowe, you don't know her, you don't know anything about her. How 'bout you shut your mouth before I shut it for you, all right?" Maura didn't hear Detective Crowe’s response, but the low growl of Jane’s voice could’ve scared the toughest of men. She smiled at herself and continued on to her car, wondering what had made Jane stand up for her like that.  


****************************************************************************************************************************************************  


Jane sat on the couch in her apartment sipping a beer, mulling over the events that had occurred that evening. She hadn’t expected the new medical examiner to be so attractive, much less a woman. The last two she’d worked with had been uptight men with no sense of decency; always flirting and ogling her when they thought she wasn’t looking. Maura on the other hand, as a bit more reserved and cautious in her actions, which made Jane wonder what the other woman had been through in her life. She absentmindedly flicked through the channels on the TV and sipped her beer every now and then. Her phone started ringing, causing her to jump.  


“Rizzoli.” She said, leaning forward to set her beer on the table.  


“Hi Janie!” her mother’s voice came through the receiver louder than expected and she pulled the phone sharply away from her face.  


“God, Ma! Lower your voice, do you have to be so loud?”  


“Sorry Janie, I just miss you, that’s all. How are you?”  


“Ma, you saw me two days ago.”  


“Oh, so a mother can’t miss her daughter now? You know, I never wanted you to take this job. You’re never home, I worry myself sick when you’re working a case. And now Frankie wants to be just like you!” Jane rolled her eyes and let her mother continue. “A mother shouldn’t have to worry that her daughter will be killed at work, you know that? I shouldn’t have to be afraid that the next phone call will be the one. I wo-“  


“Ma! Relax, will ya? I’m not dead. I get busy, you know that. I love you, okay? How about dinner on Sunday?”  


“I love you, too, Janie. Do you mean it about Sunday dinner, you’ll be here?” the hope in Angela’s voice tore at Jane’s heartstrings.  


“Yea, Ma, I’ll be at Sunday dinner. I gotta go, okay? I’ll try to call you tomorrow.”  


“Bye, Janie.”  


Jane pressed the end call button and sighed heavily. She knew her job was hard on her mother, especially since the Hoyt incident, but the nagging really drained her. Jane leaned back into the couch and closed her eyes, slipping into a fitful sleep.  


***************************************************************************************************************************************************  


Maura looked over at the clock. It was 3am and she had barely slept an hour all night. Her mind kept wandering back to Jane Rizzoli. Why had the detective stood up for her like that? They’d only just met and somehow Jane made Maura feel like maybe she wasn’t a freak. Her whole life, she’d been different. She was adopted, and her parents were hardly ever around, even when they were it never felt like they were truly a family. Maura knew her parents loved her, of course, but she was never their number one priority.  


She sat up and rubbed her temples, willing her brain to stop running a thousand miles a minute. At this rate, her day was going to be very long. Slipping her house shoes on, she wraps her robe around her body and heads toward her kitchen, hoping a cup of chamomile tea will calm her enough to sleep.  


Maura fidgeted with the tie on her robe as she waited for her tea to steep, her mind still on Jane Rizzoli, only this time she was thinking of the woman’s beauty; Maura had never seen someone who looked so fierce and soft at the same time. Jane, with her unruly curls and bright smile, but also her hardened demeanor and a gun on her hip. And her lips looked so soft, perfect for kissing. Maura blinked and blushed, shocked that the thought had even crossed her mind. She shook her head and lifted the tea bag out of the water, tossing it into the compost bin before taking a sip of the warm liquid. Turning off the light in the kitchen, Maura heads back to her room, hoping that sleep will come to her soon.


	2. New Information

Maura woke to the sound of her alarm blaring on the bedside table. She squinted against the rising sun and looked over at the clock: 7am. Groaning, she rubbed at her eyes and sat up, sliding her feet into the white slippers next to her bed. She padded to the bathroom and put her hair into a ponytail before brushing her teeth and meticulously applying her makeup. Once she’d finished that part of her morning routine, she tied the robe closed around her waist and headed to the kitchen for her morning espresso. She waits patiently as the espresso machine heats up the water, grabbing her phone from the charging station in the corner of the kitchen. With no noise in her large home but the bubbling of the machine, her mind floated back to the dream she’d had last night; she and Jane had been friends. No, more than friends, they were best friends, laughing and telling each other about their lives. Jane was laughing about something, but Maura couldn't remember what. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and swiped the lock screen on her phone, revealing the picture of her and her mother on Mother’s Day on her home screen. She sighed and opened the email app, making sure nothing had come through during the night. After refreshing the screen twice without any new emails, she set the phone on the marble countertop and grabbed a travel cup before checking to see if the machine was ready.  


Bass bumped into the dining room table and she chuckled as she she pulled the lever on the chrome espresso machine allowing the hot liquid to flow into her cup. She picked up the insulated cup and snapped the lid on as she walked towards her bedroom to get dressed. Placing the cup carefully on a coaster that sat on her vanity she walked over to her closet and opened the French style doors. After scanning the row of clothing, she pulled out a red satin long sleeved top and a tan skirt and paired it with a nude heal. She grabbed her coffee and purse and headed toward her living room just as her phone started ringing. She rushed into the kitchen, picking it up just before it went to voicemail.  


"Dr. Isles."  
, 

"Hey Maura, it's Jane. We've got another body. I’ll text you the address right now.”  


Jane ended the call before Maura could say anything else. The phone in her hand buzzed, lighting up with the address Jane sent. She got in her car and programmed the address into the GPS before pulling out of her driveway and heading to the crime scene.  


As she pulled up to the crime scene she saw Jane standing next to Korsak, the man making her look small in comparison. She put the car in park and stepped out, smoothing her skirt and grabbing the medical examiner’s bag out of the backseat. She shut the door and looked in Jane’s direction only to see the detective walking towards her. Maura couldn’t quite get a read on Jane’s mood, the woman had aviator style sunglasses on and her hands shoved in the pockets of her black slacks.  


"Good morning Detective. How are you today?" Jane lifted the sunglasses from her eyes and rested them at the top of her head.  


"I'm fine I guess. Thank you Doctor. I uh, I came out here to warn you. There's an awful lot of blood in there. I just didn't want you to freak out when you sa-"  


"Jane,” she interrupted the detective, “I'm the Queen of the Dead remember?" she smiled at Jane, who simply rolled her eyes and headed toward the large house. Maura stood for a moment and wondered if Jane had missed the sarcasm in her voice before pushing the thought aside and following the woman in front of her.  


Upon entering the house, Jane turned down a blood streaked hallway crowded with crime scene technicians, forcing her and Maura to weave between them. Jane stepped over an overturned side table and turned around to tell Maura to watch her step just as she tripped over it, falling into Jane's arms. Jane grabbed Maura tightly and helped her regain her balance before letting go of the woman’s arms.  


"I-I- I'm so sorry Jane." she turned a crimson red and smoothed out her skirt, her eyes never leaving the floor. Jane smiled softly and cupped Maura’s chin with her hand, lifting her face so they were looking eye to eye.  


"Hey, don’t worry about too much, okay?” her voice was soft as she held the eye contact with Maura, “We all make mistakes, yes? Besides, I’m glad it was me who caught you.” Maura tilted her head a bit. “I mean, so you didn’t feel awkward around the guys, you know?”  


"O-okay." her voice was a little shaky, still a bit nervous. Jane patted Maura’s shoulder and turned swiftly on her heel, continuing down the hallway and in to a bright sunroom. Maura brushed her hair out of her face and walked after Jane.  


The inside of the room was painted a light beige color, making the dark red blood stains on the walls and in the carpet stand out that much more. It took Maura less than a minute to locate the source of the blood: a female laying on beige carpet surrounded by blood, and a man posed on the couch with his throat slit, wrists and ankles wrapped with duct tape.  


"It's Hoyt." Korsak’s voice startled the doctor and she jumped a bit. She hadn’t realized that he’d followed them inside the house.  


"Who's Hoyt?" Maura’s eyebrows pulled together, and she turned her attention to Korsak, who shook his head and didn’t offer up any more information. She frowned at the man and looked over to Jane.  


Jane’s body was rigid, and she looked at Maura sharply, her dark brown eyes clouded with fear and anger. From the hallway they heard Frost’s voice, and all turned in his direction as he entered the room. He looked at the bodies and then to Korsak, who tilted his head toward Jane. After seeing the look on Jane’s face, he immediately moved toward her. Jane backed away and put her hands up.  


“Don’t touch me!” she wrapped her arms around her body, hugging herself tightly. Frost stopped moving and glanced over at Maura, who still looked confused.  


“Will someone please tell me who Hoyt is, for the love of science?!” Maura was beginning to get frustrated. Frost reached out and grabbed her upper arm, dragging her from the room quickly.  


"Frost what is wrong with you?!" Maura smoothed her shirt and rubbed her arm.  


"I'm sorry Dr. Isles; Hoyt is a touchy subject for Jane."  


"But who is Hoyt?"  


"Charles Hoyt. He is a serial killer who has had Jane in his crosshairs since she put him in prison 6 years ago. He had her trapped in a basement where he tortured her for hours, his coupe de grace was to kill her, but Korsak busted in before he could. Hoyt had her pinned to the floor with scalpels, that's where the scars on her hands came from. She says they don't hurt anymore but I see her rubbing them when it gets cold." his voice was low, and she strained to make out the last sentence.  


Her mind started to map all the muscles and ligaments in the hands and wondered how long it had taken Jane to get her hands to function again. She looked over at Frost.  


"Is Hoyt not in prison anymore? If he’s out, then Jane is in danger. Has someone checked the inmate registry?”  


“I’ve got Frankie looking into it now, he should be getting back to me soon.” Just as he finished his sentence, his phone began ringing in his pocket.  


“Frost.” He held up a finger signaling Maura to wait. “Are you serious?! Why wasn’t he cuffed? Oh for god’s sake….” He rubbed his temples. “Yeah, thanks Frankie.” He pressed the end call button and shoved the phone back in his pocket, sighing heavily.  


“Frost, what’s happening?” Maura felt a panic rising in her chest. She’d only just met Jane but she wanted to protect her at all costs.  


“Hoyt. He’s escaped.” Frost shook his head and cussed under his breath. Maura’s eyes went wide and the panic in her chest was frantic.  


“We have to protect Jane. He’ll come after her again.”  


“We’ll try to put uni’s on her apartment, but I doubt she’ll let us.”  


“Should she really be alone in her apartment though? What if I get her to stay at my home?”  


"She insists on being alone, but anything you can do to help would be great. If you could get her to stay at your house, I can get a couple of uni's on it and say they're covering you. Maybe tell her you need help with the case, she likes to feel useful, not like she's a burden."  


"Okay, I'll try that." She turned and walked back to the house, her heels clicking on the way.  


She rejoined Jane in the sunroom and did a thorough examination of the victims, documenting everything she could. She was determined to help the detectives catch this man in the best way she could. By the time everything had wrapped up, they’d spent the greater part of the day at the crime scene. As the techs began packing up and leaving, Maura looked over at Jane who was standing in the window, her arms wrapped around her just like Maura had seen her do earlier.  


"Jane, can I have a word with you?" Jane jumped at the sudden noise and turned, wiping at her eyes.  


"Yeah, of course, Dr. Isles." Maura stepped up next to Jane and clasped her hands behind her back.  


"I would like some help with some research this evening, if you’re up to it?” Maura shuffled slightly and looked down. “I uh, I don’t know much about Hoyt,” Jane bristled at the name, “and I would like to be able to nail this bastard.”  


"Did Frost put you up to this?" Maura blushed.  


“No, he didn’t. I’m offering because I would love the company. Please?”  


“Oh.” Jane reached up and scratched her eyebrow. “Well then, yes. I will be there around 7, is that okay?  


Maura smiled.  


"See you at 7."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I will be posting regular chapter updates every Sunday, so be on the lookout! Thank you all for reading this story and following our girls on their journey!


	3. Update

Hello, dear readers! It has been quite a while, yes? I'm here to give a small update on my life and also to let you know when the next *actual* update will be. I've had some struggles with both my mental and physical health in the last year and a half, but I am better now! I will be completely rewriting this story and posting chapters weekly starting on March 15th! I'll post the new story to my author page and will also post the link here for you all to access. I apologize for the terrible delay in the writing, and I hope you will all stick with me in the new edition :)


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